Introduction
Source 1 Translation
Sefer Zikhronot-Book of Remembrances
R. Samuel Aboab.
Reminders
Chapter X.6
Concerning Admonition התוכחה
The main point of proper study of the Torah, that which is precious in the eyes of [our Sages], is to study and to teach [others] to observe and to perform [the commandments]. The members of the Great Assembly thus established [the liturgical formula in which] we plead before God every single day: “Plant understanding in our hearts with which to understand, intellectualize, listen, learn, and teach, observe, perform, and fulfill all the words of the study of your Torah in love.” Avot 4:5 distinguishes between the individual who studies in order to teach and the one who studies in order to perform. R. Ishmael says: He who studies in order to teach is given the ability to study and to teach. He who studies in order to perform is given the ability to study and to teach, to observe and to perform. Study is declared greater [than performance] only because it leads to performance, for no ignoramus [הארץ עם] can be pious, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Kiddushin 40b).
The holy Torah has warned us about this holy principle many times pairing the words שמר and עשה: the former relates to study, and the latter is to be taken literally [to mean action, practice, or performance]… It is a simple and well-accepted principle among Jews. And this is what Nahmanides meant in the “Ethical Letter” he sent his son: “Be very careful to put what you study [your Torah] into practice. When you rise from the book, think about what you studied to see if there is something in it that you can now fulfill, etc.” We must therefore grasp [what we have learned] and speak of those things about which we have been commanded in several places.
It is clear that just as teachers are obligated to teach their students well and properly and to supervise them well in all their doings, it is doubly incumbent on each rabbi in his community to supervise all affairs of the community or congregations directly under his control, to sift through their public and secret actions, to correct whatever he finds [problematic] before it spreads, lest it harm himself and others, to correct that which is twisted in a timely fashion, whether in private or in public, for he is the father and the rabbi of all members of his city or community, and is obligated to care for all their needs in the areas of Torah [i.e., religious study] and divine service. He will be required to give an account of this in the future [i.e. he will be judged by God]. Scripture has made an important point with relation to someone who kills another unintentionally. “The community shall save the murderer from the hands of the blood redeemer and return him to his city of refuge where he had fled. He shall live there until the death of the High Priest” (Numbers 35:28). In other words [scripture] makes the return of even the unintentional murderer [into society] dependent upon the death of the High Priest, because the latter should have prayed that such a tragedy not happen to the Jewish people … If the greatest figure of a generation [הדור גדול] or a city is thus punished for something he didn’t know about, it is even more obvious [that he will be punished] for what he did know about but did not protest.
In the first prophecy of the prophet Samuel concerning Eli and his household we find God, may He be praised, telling Samuel: “In that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I spoke concerning his house, from beginning to end.”
And I declare to him that I sentence his house to endless punishment for the iniquity he knew about—how his sons committed sacrilege at will and he did not rebuke them.” Earlier the biblical text had stated: “[Eli] said to [his sons]: ‘Why do you do such things? I get evil reports about you from the people on all hands. Don’t my sons! It is no favorable report I hear the people of the Lord spreading about. If a man sins against a man, [the Lord may pardon him; but if a man offends against God, who can obtain pardon for him?]’” In other words, [Eli] admonished [his sons] and nevertheless the faithful judge [God] considered it as if he had not spoken to them, because that admonishment was already at the wrong time. He should have done it immediately as soon as they began to do evil, but he didn’t. Nor did he do what was appropriate to them. Because of these lapses, [his actions] were not acceptable to the Holy One [המקום], blessed be He, as [the Sages] of blessed memory stated, and that is why he was punished. This is even more true for [a religious leader] who does not admonish at all…[The Sages] say, anyone who has the opportunity to protest and does not do so will be punished… Anyone who has the opportunity to reprove the members of his family and does not will himself be punished for the sins of his entire household; the people of his city— he will be punished for the sins of his entire city; the entire world—he wil be punished for the sins of the entire world!
[There follows a lengthy passage from Sabbath 54b]
I have copied out all of this so that a person cannot say, “What can I do about this problem? People will not accept [reproach] from me.” You can only use that excuse in a situation where it is certain that [the people] will not accept your words. It is in such circumstances that it is said: “Leave the Jewish people alone. It is better that they sin in error than in full knowledge of their sins.” And it seems to me that this applies also to what appears in tractate Yevamot (65b): “Just as it is incumbent on the individual to proclaim that [reproof which] will be accepted, it is also incumbent upon him not to say something that will not be accepted.” This only applies when it is clear to him that the people will not accept his words. But if he is only in doubt, he cannot exempt himself from the obligation. In order to free oneself from this great commandment of ]תורה גופי[ Reprove [your kinsman]” upon which all the essential elements of the Torah“ depend, a great justification [ישוב] is required. In any case, I have already cited the halahkic authorities to the effect that we cannot invoke the rule of “Leave the Jewish people alone” regarding a commandment stated explicitly in the Torah. … One must be more strict regarding a scriptural matter than a rabbinic matter: regarding the former, even where you are sure that they will not accept [your words] you must rebuke repeatedly, reprove and chastise until they do accept it…
We see from the words [of the sages] that the more socially important a person, the more he is obligated to reprimand others, and no man may free himself from this obligation… If you are in doubt as to whether your reprimand will help and yield fruit or not (God forbid), you must [reprimand] even concerning a rabbinic matter, and of course about a scriptural matter. It goes without saying that if you know that your words will be useful and bear fruit [that you must utter them.] If it is something mentioned explicitly in scripture, you must reprimand whether you are sure or in doubt. We must always reprimand over and over, rebuke and pounish, and we make any excuse to justify the just divine laws. From all the evil that befell Eli and his family, we see that reprimand must be done promptly, in the proper time, and he who reprimands earliest is to be praised for he keeps his friend from sin when the latter is bound [to his evil behavior] only by weak bonds [literally: bonds of vanity], and it is easy to eradicate…
Every individual must judge for himself how far reprimand can reach, and he should not say: I have reprimanded and reproved, and why should I do it further?
It is clear that a person does not fulfill his obligation by delivering a public sermon or two in which he decries this or that sin. Not everyone attends [sermons], and those who do come won’t necessarily pay attention. Even if they do listen they don’t necessarily understand. And even those who understand won’t, woe is us, necessarily repent immediately. [This is not to say that public sermons are useless.] Sermons should be given, and the practice should not be abandoned for it is a good one. It is proper that the ways of God be promoted in public whether softly or with anger and rage, more or less frequently as appropriate. The preacher must only direct his heart towards heaven [i.e., he must preach for the right reasons].
And in addition to such public reprimand, we must not desist from private admonition. Thus I have seen righteous people, men of [good] deeds, teachers of righteousness and those who stand in the breach [בדק מחזיקי], who, whenever necessary, would either summon someone or go and see the transgressor. They would adjust their behavior according to the situation of the individual until they had brought him back to the good [path]. The truth of the Torah has great power, and even “empty-headed” Jews desire and long to repent and to be full of commandments like the ]ריקנים[ pomegranate. They merely require someone here below to help them to obtain the aid of heaven. It is obvious that someone who offers reproof and moralizes in public for an hour or two does not have the power in his heart or the tongue to express the specific particular formula [יחוד] needed for each individual, nor to respond to each false justification for doing that which is forbidden that has been implanted in the sinner’s heart by the Evil Desire. Further hours and days are needed with each person to warn him and encourage him, to hear and respond to the details of his sin, to make him realize the truth, to enable him to repent [lit., to place his repentance in his hand], so that he may go in peace and inner happiness.
There are broad categories of [sins] that most people, woe is us, easily fall into— to put it mildly. Some of these have already been mentioned, and other similar ones have not. But all of them require strengthening, and renewed reminders each month and week so that whoever has forgotten will remember and whoever has not forgotten will inevitably discover something new by studying them, listen and add more holiness and purity.
Human behavior can be divided into three categories: thought, word and deed. We should admonish people about these three categories so that they may live in this world and the next.
“Thought” about God, may He be praised, includes total faith in every one of His truthful words as reported by His holy servants in whom signs of His good spirit appeared, as well as love and fear [of God] and other similar commandments that are to be continuously present in the heart of every Jew as Maimonides says in The Book of the Commandments. [Also included in this category are] inner acceptance of the justice of any tragedy that may occur in our lives, the prohibition not to hate others in our hearts nor to seek their harm, and so forth.
“Speech” about God, may He be praised, includes directing one’s heart, recitation of the Shema, prayer, blessings and hymns, study of the Torah, care [not to] take His honored and awesome name in vain, and of course [the prohibition of] lying, [care concerning the taking of] oaths and swearing, and going to non-Jewish courts. [Speech] concerning one’s fellow man includes curses, defaming, gossiping, inciting arguments, bearing a grudge, placing a stumbling block before a blind man by giving bad advice, as our Sages have explained, and many other such things. As Rabbi Akiva noted: “Love thy neighbor as yourself” is a great principle in our religion.
“Deeds” about God, may He be praised, include circumcision which is the sign of the holy covenant in the body of man, the warnings concerning how to have one’s hair and beard cut, care concerning forbidden foods—both those listed in scripture (proper slaughter and checking of the animal for disease as well all forms of taref food, porging, soaking and salting, various worms, and leavened bread on Passover) and those imposed by the rabbis (bread baked by non-Jews, their wine, milk and cheeses, warnings concerning clothes forbidden because they contain mixed threads and men’s clothes on women and vice versa). [Also included here are] the commandment of wearing fringes on the four corners one’s suit, remembering and observing of the Holy Sabbath Day and the divine Holy Days and the Intermediate Days lest we perform any main or subsidiary act or transgress the laws of rest, each forbidden in its own way, and the joy on those days that one must experience with his household and children and all the matters attached to them … and the proper writing of [Torah] scrolls, phylactery and mezuzah scrolls, and the proper wearing of phylacteries on the arm and head.
Deeds between man and man include the extent of one’s diligence in matters related to the sacred and to purity, and strengthening most of the six pillars upon which the world stands, the ban on taking interest, fraud [הונאה] and theft, raising one’s hand against another—much less actually striking him, and of course murder. All of this amounts, more or less, to an abbreviated table of contents of this entire pamphlet.
[The preacher] must also call periodically on all the various Jewish craftsmen such as slaughterers, checkers [of animal carcasses for kashrut] and porgers, overseers of milking and the making of cheeses and wine, tailors and barbers and those who work leather for religious purposes, and scribes of Torahs, phylacteries and mezuzot, and those who maintain ritual baths and so forth. You must teach each of them the main points of his obligation and [remind him] that he must be take precautions, for these are the ones who allow the public to be righteous [הרבים ממצדיקי הם כי], and the entire community relies upon them. They should know the laws of their craft, and must carry them out in sanctity and purity. It is known, as we have already noted, that a major contributing factor in their diligence is our checking up on them, and looking into their actions. Because of this they do fully what is required of them so as to avoid punishment and be fired if they are found lacking. Though they act initially out of mundane motives [i.e., to keep their jobs], they eventually will come to act out of piety, and sanctity will continually grow within the holy community.
How precious are those who admonish and clarify matters to the people of God. [Admonitions] are to be recited in any language and in any way that will enter into the hearts of the listeners so that they will accept these words pleasantly. This is a great and unparalleled religious deed, it gives pleasure to the Creator for [the admonisher] causes God’s name to be loved. He is fulfilling that great rule, “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” Not everyone has studied the law and, woe to us, forgetfulness is found even among those who dwell continuously in the houses of study—and of course even more so in someone who does not devote himself full time to study. It is considered a great act of charity to remind them and encourage them in the continuous fear of the Lord.
All the more so is this true concerning our brethren, the children of Israel who come from the lands of the diaspora and who neither know nor have they seen the path on which every Jew must walk. We must especially teach and encourage them, make them aware of the truth and show them the path on which they must walk and the deeds which they must perform. I have already heard pious, scholarly and wise people expressing sorrow about the lack of diligence concerning this in a knowledgeable and ]חברה[ wise people. Truthfully, every Jewish city should have a special confraternity devoted to this, parallel to the many confraternities devoted to every other religious matter. This should not be overlooked. It should be the foundation stone. Those who come from slavery to redemption of the soul, from gloom and deepest darkness into the bright light of the Torah that enlightens the eyes, may the Redeemer and Savior be praised and glorified—what can they do when they come and there is no one to teach them as is proper the main principles of the faith and the commandments of God’s pure Torah, especially those [commandments] that come up frequently and that one needs to [know how to] observe all the time. And there are also those [commandments] that we just mentioned, such as forbidden foods, what kind of clothing may be worn, keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days, and [the demands of] sanctity and purity that go along with them, together with all the details that are especially necessary. As things come up concerning these commandments men and women ask their neighbors who perform them by rote [מלומדות ונשים אנשים מצוות—i.e., the neighbors perform these commandments by habit rather than out of genuine knowledge]. Often there is something of a gap between the knowledge level of the asker and the responder.
Moreover, often some of the [newcomers] are naive and don’t know enough to ask. They just assume that something is allowed because they weren’t raised [to be aware of] what is forbidden. We have heard [stories] from them that bring pain and sorrow to our hearts. Those who grow up on this path, follow it and grow old on it, acquire for themselves (even if they don’t negatively affect others), improper opinions and actions that are not to be done among the people of God. Their lives are not lives. Their punishment will be minimal so long as they act out of ignorance, but they are obligated nevertheless to seek answers and to ask of their local communal authority, for this is the obligation of every individual Jew.
The greater punishment is applied to, and hangs upon the neck of, anyone who has the opportunity to teach and to encourage but does not do so. He sees and hears and then goes home. Why is there no sacred confraternity of scholars and of those few whom God calls “pure minded” to aid in the redemption of the souls of their brethern whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has removed from slavery to freedom and from suffering to joy. They should have the principles [of faith] written in a single book. It should include the foundations of true faith and the laws, both general and particular, that every person needs [to know], so that we can educate them and teach them, each according to his ability, one day at a time, until they can make him [i.e. the former converso] aware of the main points. This is a meritorious deed available also to women, the daughters of God. They should teach [other] women everything that is appropriate to them. Any man or woman motivated to go further in this sacred work and to enter deeply into the fear and love of God, should ask and read, and study His Torah that enlightens the foolish. He should go to the sages and become wise. After a proper beginning that will leave a good impression on the soul, he will find precious treasures and fill himself with opinions and deeds that are desirable to our God, blessed be He. His soul will come to despise any despicable or evanescent act, and keep it at a distance.
One must also prepare answers appropriate for each individual, taking into account the person’s age and place of origin where he lived outside the congregation of the Lord and sinned, transgressed, and did evil, day after day and time after time, against his will as well as willingly, in ignorance [of the law] as well as intentionally. God will judge him for every sin, transgression and evil act, and he will have to pay for each. If he repents, however, God will accept his repentance and have mercy upon him.
We have to remove from the [former conversos] the false idea that is widespread among virtually a majority of our people who come from slavery of the soul, for this [view] is a stumbling block and a trap. They think that so long as a man is uncircumcised he is not yet considered [halakhically] a Jew, so that his sins are not yet sins and his transgressions and rebellions are so-to-speak non-existent. They are greatly harmed by this. Some of them have remained long in their transgressions and did not hurry to save their souls. I have seen some who had already come to a place of freedom, yet continued to sin, arguing that they still had to go back to bring their family. They didn’t want to circumcise themselves [for fear of being caught as judaizers by the inquisitorial authorities]. They did not listen to those who taught [otherwise], arguing, as above, that if they sinned and transgressed, this would not be considered a sin. Then they would leave [for the Iberian Peninsula] but never arrive, having drowned in the sea. This was their punishment in this world…
Some of them think that the day of their circumcision is the first on which they are responsible for their sins. Only a very few of them [express] regret over their [false] opinions and everything [they had done] for years that had angered God. This is a mistaken opinion and against the principles of our Holy faith. For we have a rule (Sanhedrin 44a): Even a sinner is nevertheless considered a Jew with regard to all punishments and forbidden things. Circumcision is a commandment like all other commandments in the Torah. Even though circumcision is “the gate to the Lord through which the righteous enter” and the sign of the sacred covenant in God’s congregation, the [rest of the] Torah does not depend upon it. Thus anyone who is of the Jewish race is obligated to observe all the other commandments in the Torah even if he does not bear the mark of circumcision. An uncircumcised Jew whose older brothers died at circumcision [and is therefore himself exempt] is nevertheless a Jew.
Scripture, describing the entrance of the Israelites into the land of Israel (Joshua 5:5–6) says: “Whereas all the people who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, none of the people born after the exodus, during the desert wanderings, had been circumcised. For the Israelites had traveled in the wilderness forty years, etc.” In other words, all those born in the desert during that entire period of forty years were not